Meteor Shower

The wind from the sunroof and open windows ruffles my hair about in every direction. Music plays loudly, but not so loudly that we can't hear each other when we cheer about milestones: A sign to Jordan Lake! Crossing Route 55! The sign for Ebenezer Church Recreation Area! It is well past 1:00 am and no one is stressed or worried. And the whole time we drive, I stare out through the sunroof hole and see more and more stars appearing.
Later, the walk down a black road - all that's visible are is the black outline of trees against the starry sky, and a suspicious orange glow ahead. We grumble at the glow, accusing it of being a sulphur parking lot light, only to discover that it is the 3 quarters full moon, low in the sky and orange with reflected sunlight. We spread our blankets, open our vegan food and drinks, and commence to watching the moonset. Meteors the size of grains of dust streak across the sky, leaving glowing trails. They are in all quadrants, all corners. One streaks across the entire black dome, from one edge to the other, neatly bisecting the softly glowing Milky Way.
We talk, we laugh, we make bad jokes and good ones. We talk about diet (vegan, carnivore, cannibal), grave robbing, and other awesome times that we have watched the night sky sparkle with light from thousands of other suns. We fall silent at last, moved into perfect wonder as we enter the sacred space of a night sky relatively undiluted by light pollution. Our bodies cool off from our long walk from the car and we wrap ourselves in blankets.
When it is time to leave we are quieter, subdued and sleepy and happy. We ride back in contentment. I watch the stars dwindle away, their light dimmed by the lights of commercial civilization.
It was a good evening.

So cute

Duchess, resting between her acts of anarchy.

Pacifism and Suffering

We talked about just war and pacifism last night. And I realized that true pacifism requires a theology of suffering. (Pacifism being defined merely as the belief that, as a Christian, it is always wrong to use violence against another person).
We heard a fabulous story about a Greek Orthodox priest who voluntarily joined a group of Jews being rounded up for the concentration camps. The whole village joined them, and the Nazi's ended up not sending anyone to the camp from that village. But of course, it could've ended up with the priest dying in a gas chamber. Some priests did. He was willing to suffer - he knew that suffering is a part of following Christ.
Today I read a story about labor organizers in South Florida. They confronted a slave owner who beat one of his slaves (and yes, slaves are picking some of those Florida oranges). The owner didn't care b/c he expected them to file a Labor Dept. report. Instead, the group led a protest march to the owner's home, bringing the entire town with them. They were willing to stand up and say that if one slave suffered, they all suffered.
Me, a pacifist, encountering these 2 stories in the last 2 days is not a coincidence.
So here's the question. As a rich, safe, pampered American woman, how do I suffer with those who are suffering? How can I make my pacifism mean something - be an active participation in nonviolent resistance rather than a passive form of appeasement? How can I wage spiritual war?
Because remember, our war is not against the people and powers of this world, but against the powers of darkness. And our weapons are not the world's weapons, but spiritual weapons.
Whatever I do: to truly be a pacifist and defend those who are oppressed will demand my engagement with a powerful theology of suffering.

Ease

I am having a new experience. It is the experience of planning events without stress. Last spring, when Tammi and I planned the overnight Prayer Vigil, I loved the whole experience. I was calm, joyful, excited, and peaceful, even when we hit obstacles or bumps. It was by far the most enjoyable event I've ever planned or hosted.
And that's what the Film Series at Evergreen has been like this week. We hit obstacles, there were concerns, I have been attentive to details and slightly worried about things going awry. But tonight, the first night, was great. People came! And were interested! And talked! And I'm so excited about it.
Paul says that God planned good works for us "to walk in" before any of us were ever born. I think this ease is due to the fact that I've finally found that path. And I'm walking in what God had planned for me. Not that it's effortless or painless or no work, just that there is such ease and peace and joy.
Now that I've experienced, I've decided that my job MUST include this for the vast majority of my responsibilities.

Baby Tarantulas

This is a picture of Baby Duchess in her favorite place: Daddy's lap. Notice that she is sprawled out. We shared this picture with my grandmother. We thought she might enjoy looking at the cuteness and sweetness of Baby Duchess. We found out on a subsequent visit, however, that she had found it necessary to remove this picture from her wall. Apparently, Duchess' resemblance to a tarantula draped across Dale's lap unnerved her.
Ahhh, good times.

Our Delightful Cat

This is Duchess. Note her sweet, loving expression. This is her normal loving little face.
What's that you say? She looks irritated? Oh, well, maybe a little. We had just told her not to jump up onto the countertop...

Will Everyone Go to Heaven?

No, the author asserts, everyone will not go to heaven. She makes an age-appropriate case for exclusionary theology, and then she ends with this jaw-dropping statement:
"There are many people who will tell you that God is a loving Father, and that He would never be so mean as to keep out of heaven any of the people He has made. But the people who say such things have never read the Bible."
The first time I read this, I laughed out loud. I find this hilarious. I doubt that Jan Bonda, who wrote an entire book defending universalism based on his interpretation of Biblical texts, would appreciate being categorized as someone who's never read the Bible. I think it's interesting that she has chosen to deny an entire segment of Christianity which believes that universalism is, in fact, taught in the Bible. Finally, it's these kinds of oversimplifications which have caused the church to lose its intellectual authority. What will a child raised on this book do when they encounter a universalist who can defend his/her position by a rational exposition of Biblical texts? Wouldn't it be better to admit that people interpret the Bible differently, and teach that a person must learn how to read and interpret the Bible personally and in community in order to evaluate different Biblically based theologies?
OK, I know, too complex for kids. Then WHY BRING IT UP AT ALL? I mean, look at what she's saying. She's now brought up the whole question of whether God is mean for not letting everyone into heaven. But she doesn't really answer it.
Some topics just aren't appropriate for kids. And we screw them up by trying to teach them to kids. And then, people grow up to be adults and they refuse to consider any form of evangelism as valid, they have major God-Daddy issues, and they leave the church. And we wonder why.